That fact made the fog inside Kaori's mind disperse. She could hear the sound of puzzle pieces being rightfully placed. Just what I was hesitating about. There's "Hajime" before her. There's the boy that her heart always thought of. The one who was called "incompetent," but crawled from the abyss, gained enormous power, and came to save her.
There were parts that had changed, but there was also unchanged parts. However, that's something natural. After all, people would always change with time, experiences, and meetings. That's why, there was no need for her to feel fear. There's no need for her to lose her confidence. There's no need for her to back away from him.
If there's something I don't know, then it'll okay if I come to know it while being by his side. Up until now, just like the time we were inside the class. There's no way the strength of my feelings will lose! There's nothing wrong with me joining the circle that surrounds Hajime! I won't let anyone laugh at my feelings anymore!
Resolution and determination were born inside Kaori's eyes. Shizuku, by her side, was smiling at her best friend's change. Following that, she silently pushed Kaori's back. Kaori , with eyes radiating more "strength" than before, nodded to thank Shizuku and moved towards her next battlefield. That's right, toward her fight as a woman!
Hajime's party noticed that Kaori was walking towards them. Hajime thought she came to see them off, while Yue by his side, "Muh?," became wary as she frowned. "Arara?," Shia was looking at Kaori as her interest deepened, and Tio murmured, "Looks like it'll be a bloodbath huh~." Because she was apparently not coming to see them off, Hajime was looking at Kaori, frowning due at the ominous feeling.
"Hajime-kun, can I come with you, too? ... No, that's not it, I will absolutely come with you, so please take care of me, okay?"
"... Hah?"
From the first words spoken, with neither preface nor wish-washing, it became a development where everything was decided and made Hajime's eyes turn into dots. Inadvertently, he leaked such a stupefied voice. In place of Hajime, who could not immediately regain his composure due to being dumbfounded, Yue moved out.
"... You are not qualified for that."
"What qualification? Is it to always think of Hajime? Then, I won't lose to anyone, you know?"
Kaori calmly replied Yue's words. Yue, "Mmhmp," made her mouth into ^.
Kaori matched her gaze to Yue's, then she abruptly moved her unshakable gaze towards Hajime. Following that, she united her hand before her chest with blushing cheeks, took a deep breath, then with desperate and trembling voice, she spoke to him... thus she conveyed it.
"I love you."
"... Shirasaki."
Kaori's expression was mix of embarrassment, worrying while she was expecting Hajime's answer, and happiness coming from being able to convey her feelings to him. Thus, with those mixed feeling, she didn't back away, displaying her determination.
That gaze, filled with determination and sincerity made Hajime answered her with serious eyes.
"I have a woman I am in love with. So I can't answer Shirasaki's feelings. Therefore, I can't take you with me."
Hajime's clear answer made Kaori immediately bite her lip as if she wanted to cry, but in the next moment, power was born inside the eyes that were about to spill tears and she raised her face. Thus she nodded to tell him she understood. Behind Kaori, Kouki and the others were in blank surprise, agape, and in a pandemonium-like situation, but not minding them, Kaori spun her desired words.
"... Un, I know. It's Yue-san, right?"
"Yeah, that's why..."
"But, I don't think that can be a reason for me not to be at Hajime-kun's side."
"What?"
"Because, Shia-san and the slightly strange Tio-san are also in love with Hajime-kun, right? Especially Shia-san, I feel she is pretty serious about it."
"... That's..."
"Even though Hajime-kun, with you already having your own special person, she still doesn't give up and wants to be at Hajime-kun's side, and also, Hajime-kun lets her be so. That's why, it wouldn't be a problem if I am there too, right? After all, my feelings for Hajime-kun... won't lose to anyone."
Saying so, Kaori turned her blazing, strong gaze towards Yue. What was expressed was, My feelings won't lose to you! I won't let you laugh at them!, and Yue could see Kaori's strong will. That was definitely a declaration of war. It was a declaration that she'd steal the one and only "special seat" from Yue.
Receiving Kaori's piercing gaze from the front, Yue, unusually, turned her lips in a smile that could be understood by anyone as fearless.
"... I see, then come with us. And there I will teach you. Our differences, that is."
"Not you, it's Kaori."
"... Then, just call me Yue. I accept Kaori's challange."
"Fufu, Yue. Don't cry if you lose, kay?"
"... Fu, fufufufufu."
"Aha, ahahahahaha."
Yue and Kaori created a world of their own with a different meaning than the time Yue did it with Hajime. Even though Hajime was the one confessed to, he was being put aside before he was aware of it, and, in such a manner, in the end it was decided Kaori would enter his party making Hajime look into the far distance. Seeing Yue and Kaori who were laughing together, Shia and Myuu by his side were hugging him, trembling.
"Ha-Hajime-san! Is something wrong with my eyes? I can see dark clouds and draconic lightning behind Yue-san!"
"... Isn't that normal? Even I can see a katana holding Hanya behind Shirasaki."
"Papaa~! Those Onee-chan are scaryy."
"Haa haa, thee are somehow... if you turn your gazes to this one... ngh, can't hold it."
With Satan? appearing behind each of them, Yue and Kaori laughed with daunting pose. Were you those kinds of characters?, Hajime wanted to retort with that, but he decided to wait for them to stop while soothing Myuu, who was clinging to him, because those words would become a boomerang back at him. He is now the so called good-for-nothing.
But, there was someone who objected towards Kaori's will... and of course it was the "Hero", Amanokawa Kouki.
"Wa-Wait! Please wait a sec! I don't understand this. Kaori likes Nagumo? She wants to follow him? Eh? What does this mean? How, how did it suddenly come to this? Nagumo! You, just what have you done to Kaori."
"... the heck is with this one."
Apparently, Kouki could not admit the reality of Kaori falling for Hajime. It was not something that came out of the blue as Kouki was the only one who didn't notice it, but in Kouki's eyes, he only saw it as Kaori suddenly doing something strange and the cause being Hajime. Really, Kouki's mind that only saw things in the way that would be convenient for him made Hajime retort instinctively.
Being completely convinced that Hajime did something to Kaori, Kouki indignantly moved with partly drawn Holy Sword in hand which made Shizuku admonish him, with a gesture was as though she was enduring a headache.